The Asian Development Bank [ADB] trimmed its growth forecast for India’s economy in FY26 to 6.7 percent from 7 percent earlier, citing risk from US tariff levies.
Global economic uncertainty may also affect completion of investment projects in India, said ADB in its April 2025 outlook report.
Favorable monetary and fiscal policies, rising rural incomes, and moderating inflation would support India’s growth, ADB said. GDP growth for FY27 was projected at 6.8 per cent in the report.
Countries in developing Asia and the Pacific are projected to grow 4.9 per cent in FY26, down from 5 per cent last year.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a WhatsApp channel that will provide financial information and updates to people, especially those in remote and underserved regions of the country.
The channel marks an expansion of the regulator’s public awareness campaign titled ‘RBI Kehta Hai’ (RBI Says),
which has been actively disseminating key messages about safe banking practices, consumer rights, and responsible financial behavior through multiple channels, including SMS, TV ads, digital media, and print.
The verified WhatsApp account will serve as an additional channel through which the RBI can share timely and relevant information directly with users in a simple,
secure, and convenient manner.
The WhatsApp channel will deliver messages related to safe digital transactions, fraud prevention, banking rights, and policy updates. It is also expected to be a useful tool in debunking financial myths and misinformation that often circulate on social media, helping consumers make informed decisions.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the Modernization of Command Area Development and Water Management (M-CADWM) as a sub-scheme of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for the period 2025-2026 with an initial total outlay of Rs.1600 crore.
The scheme aims for modernization of the irrigation water supply network to supply of irrigation water from existing canals or other sources in a designated cluster. It will make robust backend infrastructure for micro-irrigation by farmers from established source to the Farm gate upto 1 Ha with underground pressurized piped irrigation.
The use of SCADA, Internet of things technology will be used for water accounting and water management. This will increase the Water Use Efficiency (WUE) at the farm level, increase agriculture production & productivity; and thereby increase the income of farmers.
The projects will be made sustainable by Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT) to the Water User Society (WUS) for management of irrigation assets. The Water User Societies will be given handholding support for linking them with existing Economic Entities like FPO or PACS for five years. The youth will also be attracted to farming, to adopt the modern method of irrigation.
The initial approval is for taking up pilot projects across various agroclimatic zones in the country by challenge funding to the states. Based on the learning’s in design and structuring of these projects, National Plan for Command Area Development and Water Management will be launched starting from April 2026 for the 16th Finance Commission period.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Construction of 6 lane Zirakpur Bypass starting from Junction with NH-7 (Zirakpur-Patiala) and ending at Junction with NH-5 (Zirakpur-Parwanoo) with a total length 19.2 Km in State of Punjab and Haryana under NH(O) on Hybrid Annuity Mode with a significant step,
to facilitate integrated transport infrastructure development under the PM Gatishakti National Master Plan principle.
The total capital cost of the project is Rs.1878.31 crore.
The Zirakpur Bypass starts from the junction with NH-7 (Chandigarh-Bathinda) in Zirakpur and follows the Punjab Government Master Plan in Punjab and terminates at the junction with NH-5,
(Zirakpur-Parwanoo) in Panchkula of Haryana, thus avoiding the highly urbanized and congested stretch of Zirakpur in Punjab and Panchkula in Haryana.
The primary purpose of the project is to ease up congestion in Zirakpur, Panchkula and surrounding areas by diverting traffic from Patiala, Delhi, Mohali Aerocity and providing direct connectivity to Himachal Pradesh.
The current proposal aims at reducing the travel time and ensuring hassle-free traffic movement in the congested urban section of NH-7, NH-5 and NH-152.
Government has taken up decongestion of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali urban agglomeration with development of road network which would take shape of ring road as indicated in the map.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the doubling of Tirupati – Pakala – Katpadi single railway line Section (104 km) in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu with total cost of Rs.1332 crore (approx.).
The enhanced line capacity will improve mobility, providing enhanced efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. The multi-tracking proposal will ease operations and reduce congestion, providing the much-required infrastructural development on the busiest sections across Indian Railways.
The project is result of PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity.
The project covering three Districts in two States i.e., Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 113 Kms.
Along with connectivity to Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, project section also provides rail connectivity to other prominent destinations such as Sri Kalahasti Shiva Temple, Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple, Chandragiri Fort, etc. attracting pilgrims and tourists from across the country.
Multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approx. 400 villages and about 14 lakh population.
This is an essential route for transportation of commodities such as coal, agricultural commodities, cement and other minerals etc. The capacity augmentation work will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 4 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum).
Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu chaired the signing ceremony for the H130 helicopter fuselage manufacturing contract between Airbus and Mahindra Aerostructures Pvt. Ltd. This collaboration marks a pivotal moment in India’s aviation journey, further strengthening the global confidence in the country’s industrial potential.
The partnership between Mahindra Aerostructures and Airbus underscores India’s progress in the aviation sector and our steadfast commitment to the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives spearheaded by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Phase 2 of First Edition of Naval Commanders’ Conference commenced with an inaugural address by Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff, at Nausena Bhawan on 07 Apr 25. The five-day event is being conducted in two phases, Phase I was held on 05 Apr 25 at Karwar and Phase 2 being held at New Delhi from 07 to 10 Apr 25.
Phase 1 witnessed ‘Review of Indian Navy’s Operational Readiness and Future Outlook’, ‘Flagging-off of Indian Ocean Ship Sagar to Southwest Indian Ocean Region’ and ‘Inauguration of key infrastructure of Project Seabird’ by the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, Shri Rajnath Singh.
